'To
Maintain, Improve and Extend the Play and Recreational facilities
within the Parish of Doxey for its Present and Future Population'

Press Releases

Concerned residents and community figures are joining forces to secure
a fair deal for people of all ages in the Doxey area of Stafford to
enjoy play and recreation.

Children in particular stand to lose out if new housing proposals lead
to loss of a well-used football pitch in the foreseeable future.

The Doxey Parish Plan 2007-2012 has already shown a demand for further
recreational facilities in Stafford's only urban parish, which has a
population of over 2,000 – including 170 children of primary school age.

Now a new group, Play Space 4 Doxey, has carried out
research showing that the parish has fewer recreational facilities than
other parts of Stafford town.

Spokesman Iain Simpson says “We are very concerned that Doxey is losing
valuable recreational facilities at the same time as future housing
developments are proposed in our community.

“We are seeking a urgent meeting with the leader of Stafford Borough
Council, Councillor Mike Heenan, to find out how the council
intends to reconcile these two conflicting problems.”

Saint-Gobain Abrasives based in Doxey Road has told Doxey Parish
Council it intends to sell land it owns between the main road and the
disused Stafford-Newport railway line, including the football pitch.
The Parish Council has negotiated a temporary extension to its lease on
the football pitch but the long-term future of the facilities is still
in doubt.

Press Release

Mon March 28th 2011

High powered talks to thrash out play space plan for Doxey

Community campaigners and council chiefs are meeting this week to
thrash out a solution to a shortage of play space in a Stafford suburb.

Doxey parish stands to lose its well-used football pitch if a housing
development goes ahead without land for a new facility being found.

Borough council leader Mike Heenan and Doxey community leaders are
being brought together by Tillington councillors Peter Goodland and
Isabella Davies to find a way ahead on Friday, 1st April.

Representatives of Play Space 4 Doxey, a community group formed to
campaign for better recreational facilities in the parish of 2,700
residents have also been invited to join the talks.

Councillor Peter Goodland says: " Doxey folk are very alarmed at the
prospect of losing one of the few recreational facilities their
community has. The football pitch is leased by the parish council from
Saint-Gobain which wants to sell the land.

The importance of this matter is recognised by the fact that so many
influential figures are getting together to talk about it and trying to
find a solution."

Councillor Isabella Davies says: "Doxey needs more play space for its
youngsters who cannot afford to lose anything they aleady have. If more
houses are built, we will need more play space, not less."

Play Space 4 Doxey is backed by community groups including the police
and Doxey Primary School, which has 170 pupils. Head teacher Jon Dreher
says: "The children of my school are crying out for recreational areas.
Not only must we protect what limited facilities we have, we must
ensure that future developments take account of the recreational needs
of the children."

Councillor Mike Heenan says: "This meeting will be an opportunity for
everyone involved to air their views and find a way forward for the
people of Doxey."

Press Release
April 5th, 2011

TALKS
REACH AGREEMENT
OVER
FOOTBALL PITCH

Doxey
community campaigners and borough council chiefs have found a way
forward to ensure their football pitch remains open to local
children.

A top-level meeting
between council leaders, officials, local councillors and Doxey
community representatives exceeded all expectations on Friday, April
1st. Hopes are high that the football pitch can be
safeguarded and further recreation improvements achieved.

Saint-Gobain Abrasives
told Doxey Parish Council in November 2010 it wanted to sell its land
south of the main road in Doxey, including the football pitch, to
Bellway Homes. It was therefore terminating the parish council’s
lease on the pitch.

Representatives of Play
Space 4 Doxey and local borough councillors Peter Goodland and
Isabella Davies and Doxey parish vice-chairman David Adams learned on
Friday that planning officers of Stafford Borough Council had
recently had informal discussions with Bellway Homes with a view to
the firm drawing up a planning application for this land.

Head of planning and
regeneration Ted Manders said the borough council started from a
presumption that the existing football pitch would remain in use,
should Bellway win planning permission for a housing development on
other parts of the site.

In the meantime the whole
site, including the football pitch, remains the property of
Saint-Gobain Abrasives, which has fenced off the land.

Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy
offered to write to Saint-Gobain Abrasives asking the firm to keep
the football pitch open to the people of Doxey while the planning
issues were resolved. The representatives of Play Space 4 Doxey were
pleased to accept Mr Lefroy’s offer.

A
parish meeting of Doxey residents in December resolved to fight for
the retention of the football pitch or its replacement by a new
facility within the parish

Planning History of Saint-Gobain Land South of Doxey

This land formed most of
29 acres (11.7 hectares) was put forward for inclusion in the
Stafford Borough Local Plan 2001, published in 1991, but later
dropped.

In January 1997, the
inspector who held the public inquiry into the local plan, identified
a shortfall of provision for over 1,000 houses as being needed in
order to meet the requirements of the county structure plan. He
recommended that this site should be considered again by the council
to make up the shortfall.

In October 1998, the
borough council included this land in the approved local plan as
housing proposal HP9.

In June 1997, Unicorn
International submitted planning application 97/34923/OUT for 180
homes on this site. The houses were to be built close to the main
road through Doxey, the land further away being retained as a
wildlife habitat and football pitch, all designated as public open
space.

In September 1999, the
development control committee resolved to grant planning permission,
subject to a Section 106 agreement. In the event this agreement was
never signed.

Meanwhile, Unicorn’s
land was acquired by Saint-Gobain and the Government revised its
planning policy guidance note on housing (PPG3). This guidance,
requiring local authorities to give preference to previously
developed land over greenfield sites, has now been rescinded.

In May 2003, the
development control committee resolved to refuse permission for
planning application 34923 on the grounds that enough brownfield land
was available to meet the requirements of the structure plan for the
construction of new houses.

Saint-Gobain appealed to
the Secretary of State but withdrew that appeal in June 2004.

In the meantime, George
Wimpey submitted planning application 02/42042/FUL for detailed
planning permission on the same land. This was refused in April
2006, largely for the same reasons as Saint-Gobain’s previous
application.

Doxey Parish Council came
into being in April 2003 and negotiated a lease on the football pitch
in 2005.

In November 2010,
Saint-Gobain indicated it wished to terminate that lease in order to
sell the land to Bellway Homes. In February 2011, fencing was
erected around the land with notices stating “public access
prohibited”. A public right of way behind the Church of St Thomas
and St Andrew remains open.

The meeting at Stafford
Borough Council’s Civic Offices on Friday, April 1st,
2011, was called by Tillington borough councillors Peter Goodland and
Isabella Davies, whose ward includes the parish of Doxey.